Episodes
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Last week we celebrated our 100th episode of the show with another live event!
James was joined by Co-Leader of the Green Party, Carla Denyer MP, and economists Faiza Shaheen, and Grace Blakeley, to break down Labour's Autumn Budget.
A massive thank you to everyone who joined us at Space4!
Apologies to anyone awaiting our ELECTION ECONOMICS episode with Thea Riofrancos - we've had to delay that recording but we'll be posting a review of the election results once they are in. As always you'll find that at patreon.com/macrodose.
Got a question or comment? Reach us at [email protected]
For more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, go to planetbproductions.co.uk
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Amid the threat of “Project 2025”, ongoing genocide in Gaza, and a nation-wide battle over reproductive rights, to name a few major issues, the climate crisis has been considerably sidelined in the US election taking place on November 5th. But even if it’s not grabbing headlines, what the United States does — or does not do — on climate has profound implications for the entire world.
So where does climate stand in this election? With Kamala Harris praising both the Green New Deal and her role as a champion of fracking, how should we understand the Democratic position on climate? What is the legacy of the Inflation Reduction Act, and does it even register with voters? What, if anything, is the future of the Green New Deal? And, for the many people who don’t feel represented by either major party, is a third party, or not voting, the answer?
These are big questions — here to help us answer them are two brilliant guests, journalist Kate Aronoff and Democratic strategist Waleed Shahid. In this special episode, Adrienne, Kate and Waleed unpack the chaos and the stakes of the US election, and what it means for climate action in the US and beyond.
Kate Aronoff is a journalist, Staff Writer at the New Republic and Fellow at The Roosevelt Institute. She is also the author of books including Overheated: How capitalism broke the planet — and how we fight back (2021), and A Planet To Win: Why We Need a Green New Deal (2019).Waleed Shahid is a Democratic strategist and movement organiser. He previously served as the Director of Communications for the Justice Democrats, the political initiative that worked to elect “The Squad” and helped to launch The Green New Deal in the US.
NOTES AND FURTHER READING
Kate Aronoff, "Green Industrial Policy’s Unfinished Business: A Publicly Managed Fossil Fuel Wind-Down", Roosevelt Institute
Kate Aronoff, "The IRA Is An Invitation to Organizers", Dissent Magazine
Waleed Shahid, "Democrats, Parties and Palestine: Five stages of political grief", Convergence
Waleed Shahid, "What The Left Can Learn From Jamaal Bowman's Loss", The Nation
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Missing episodes?
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On this week's MACRODOSE, James Meadway looks ahead to this afternoon’s Autumn Budget, breaking down what you need to know about Labour's devoutly “pro-growth” agenda and how it all fits into a bigger picture of our changing political and economic landscape (2:20).
Check out our new ELECTION ECONOMICS series, available only for MACRODOSE supporters on Patreon, covering all things political economy ahead of the US election on 5th November. You can find our recent episode with Adam Tooze at patreon.com/Macrodose.
Got a question or comment? Reach us at [email protected].
For more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, go to planetbproductions.co.uk. -
FULL EPISODE: patreon.com/Macrodose
Election Economics is back! Over the next few weeks, James will be joined by an array of expert thinkers to cover all things political economy in the run-up to the US Presidential Election on 5th November.
On this week’s show, James sat down with renowned economic historian Adam Tooze to discuss his recent writings on US political economy and foreign policy, how the two are shaped by longer term trends in American and global history, and where the upcoming election might leave us all.
We’ll be posting new episodes of Election Economics weekly. So if you’re enjoying the series, make sure to subscribe to stay updated. As always, you can find that over at patreon.com/Macrodose.
You can find Adam's work here: https://adamtooze.com
Got a question or comment? Reach us at [email protected]
For more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, go to planetbproductions.co.uk
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In a 2023 referendum, the people of Ecuador voted 59% to 41% to stop exploiting oil in the Yasuní region, one of the most biodiverse places on Earth, with more tree species in one single hectare than in all of the landmass of Canada and the US combined. It was a massive break with the global status quo, in a year when fossil fuel use around the world reached record highs and profits soared.
However, the referendum was not an overnight success. It built on years of struggle, including the failed Yasuní-ITT initiative undertaken by then-president Rafael Correa in 2007, which asked foreign governments to pay Ecuador not to exploit the oil in this region.
So how did it happen, and what lessons can the rest of the world learn from Ecuador? Here to answer these questions, and many more, is Andrés Arauz, a Senior Fellow at the Center for Economic Policy Research and, formerly, a politician in the Ecuadorian government.
In this special episode, Adrienne speaks to Andrés about Ecuador’s pursuit of climate and environmental justice, as well as the barriers facing lower income countries in the context of a highly unequal global economic system. From the International Monetary Fund to the rules of international trade, Andrés unpacks the ways that injustice is built into global capitalism, and lays out a blueprint for a radical alternative.
Andrés Arauz is an economist and Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Economic Research and Policy in DC. He has an extensive and diverse background in economic policy, research, organising, and politics, serving in several positions in the Ecuadorian government and running as Vice President in the 2023 Ecuadorian elections.
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On this week's MACRODOSE, James Meadway dives into growing concerns over the use of surveillance technology by US supermarkets and how it’s being leveraged to drive price gouging (1:14), before turning to a recent BBC report on the UK’s health crisis and it's economic fallout (5:29).
Check out our new ELECTION ECONOMICS series, available only for MACRODOSE supporters on Patreon, covering all things political economy ahead of the US election on 5th November. You can find tomorrow's episode with Adam Tooze at patreon.com/Macrodose.
Got a question or comment? Reach us at [email protected]
For more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, go to planetbproductions.co.uk
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We have become incredibly good at producing food. In doing so we have transformed our planet. Yet when we go to the supermarket or eat at a restaurant, the supply chains, labour and environmental impacts that went into our food are all but invisible.
Those impacts are huge. Today, humans and livestock make up 96% of all mammals. Agriculture consumes about 70% of global freshwater, and is responsible for some 80% of deforestation. And yet despite producing more than enough food to feed everyone on earth, every day a minimum of 800 million people go hungry, while a fifth of all food produced for human consumption goes to waste.
Clearly, something’s got to give. Thankfully, here to help us out of the mess is Dr. Sonali McDermid, a climate scientist and Chair of the Department of Environmental Studies at NYU. In this episode, she breaks down how climate and ecological crisis threaten our food systems — and how we can feed the world without wrecking the planet.
Find more about the Break Down at break-down.org and be sure to follow us across social media to stay up-to-date with upcoming episodes, essay launches and more.
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On this week's MACRODOSE, James Meadway breaks down how climate change is wreaking havoc on Britain's harvests and threatening food security (2:04), why Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) doesn't offer the answers we need for today’s economic challenges (6:49), and the reasons behind the rising cost of butter, with climate change once again playing a key role (14:53)
Check out our new ELECTION ECONOMICS series, available only for MACRODOSE supporters on Patreon, covering all things political economy ahead of the US election on 5th November.
Got a question or comment? Reach us at [email protected]
For more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, go to planetbproductions.co.uk
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FULL EPISODE: patreon.com/Macrodose
Election Economics is back! Over the next few weeks, James will be joined by an array of expert thinkers to cover all things political economy in the run-up to the US Presidential Election on 5th November.
On this week’s show, James sat down with the writer and economic historian Andrew Elrod, whose recent piece in Phenomenal World asks the simple but vital question: What Was Bidenomics: from build back better to the national security synthesis.
You can check out the full article here, as well as the rest of the sharp analysis published by our friends over at Phenomenal World.
https://www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/what-was-bidenomics/
Got a question or comment? Reach us at [email protected]
For more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, go to planetbproductions.co.uk
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On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down: China’s economic slowdown and new stimulus package (1:39), and how much will it actually cost to fix Britain’s broken economy? (9:37).
We'll be releasing tickets for our upcoming live event to Patrons on Friday. Support the show and receive updates here: https://www.patreon.com/macrodose
Got a question or comment? Reach us at [email protected]
For more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, go to planetbproductions.co.uk
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On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down the global economic impact of Storm Helene and how it could disrupt the tech supply chain (0:36), plus a listener question about changes to the fiscal rules and their potential effect on Keir Starmer's government (7:40).
For more content and to support the show, visit: https://www.patreon.com/macrodose
Got a question or comment? Reach us at [email protected]
For more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, go to planetbproductions.co.uk
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Today's episode of The Break Down explores the idea and the power of utopian fiction with guest Kim Stanley Robinson, the acclaimed science fiction author whose most recent novel, The Ministry for the Future, offers a harrowing and detailed vision of how we might respond to the climate crisis.
Among other things, Adrienne and Stan discuss the politics of science and technology; the place of speculative fiction in an era dominated by nostalgia and the importance of utopia at a time when our political imaginations are so constrained.
Like The Ministry for the Future itself, this episode is dedicated to the late Fredric Jameson. You can find many of Jameson's incredible works here: https://shorturl.at/fYDNJ
Find more about the Break Down at break-down.org and be sure to follow us across social media to stay up-to-date with upcoming episodes, essay launches and more.
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On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down: Rachel Reeves’ first speech as Chancellor at Labour Party Conference (0:46), the reopening of Three Mile Island to fuel a Microsoft data center (7:13), and a listener question on the concept of public luxury in an era of economic stagnation (12:08).
For more content and to support the show, visit: https://www.patreon.com/macrodose
Got a question or comment? Reach us at [email protected]
For more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, go to planetbproductions.co.uk
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On this week’s Macrodose James Meadway breaks down: the resurgence of US fossil fuel power and its impact on the energy transition (0:39) Feedback from last week's theory episode, on the role of technology in combating the rising costs of climate change (5:17)
For more content and to support the show, visit: https://www.patreon.com/macrodose
Got a question or a comment? Reach us at [email protected]
For more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, go to planetbproductions.co.uk
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Followers of Macrodose may remember our Roundtable episode from earlier this year, in which Adrienne spoke to James and the brilliant Brett Christophers about the many and varied reasons why — despite all the hype about how cheap renewables have become — the transition to renewable energy cannot be left to the market and the profit motive. What that conversation didn't leave us with, however, was an answer to the obvious question: if not the market, then what?
Here to make the case for a simple but radical solution are Chris Hayes and Melanie Brusseler, the Chief Economist and US Programme Director, respectively, at Common Wealth, a progressive UK based think tank and our partners in this series. In today’s episode, Chris and Melanie break down how public ownership can transform our energy system, providing not only a faster and cheaper path to 100% clean energy, but also the foundations of a more just and democratic economy overall.
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James returns after a Summer break! This week we're running a special episode on Macrodose theory, taking you behind the scenes to look at some of the theoretical building blocks of how we put the show together (1:23).
What is Macrodose, why are we doing it, and who are the thinkers we should be reading to understand the world we now live in today?
READING LIST
Michael Kidron 'Failing growth and rampant costs': https://www.marxists.org/archive/kidron/works/2002/xx/ghosts.htm
Jason W. Moore & Raj Patel 'The History of the World in Seven Cheap Things': https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/817-a-history-of-the-world-in-seven-cheap-things?srsltid=AfmBOoovsDH9x0Ul8B5VanJBOwDVnQwTDcwd7Dcl0M9wXADgRgze-HBi
Jason W. Moore 'Capitalism and the way of life': https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/74-capitalism-in-the-web-of-life?srsltid=AfmBOopvBjmgELZS0p0byISi61atpkB_6TxzT96WxfkUwf4QAiGmWHDg
Kohei Saito 'Karl Marx’s Ecosocialism': https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/karl-marxa-tm-s-ecosocialism-capital-nature-and-the-unfinished-critique-of-political-economy-kohei-saito/2345756
Tithi Battacharyya 'Social Reproduction Theory': https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745399881/social-reproduction-theory/
Mike Davies 'Old Gods, New Enigmas': https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/820-old-gods-new-enigmas?srsltid=AfmBOorvAsqCHVKnEPCn-ynLLGA40RuCFWNZOpVpbD2HZGWiuVBA3VZp
Thomas Philippon 'Additive Growth': https://www.nber.org/papers/w29950
Potsdam Institute Research: https://www.pik-potsdam.de/en/news/latest-news/38-trillion-dollars-in-damages-each-year-world-economy-already-committed-to-income-reduction-of-19-due-to-climate-change
Isabella Weber: https://academic.oup.com/icc/article/33/2/297/7603347
Enjoy! As always, a massive thank you to all of our existing Patreon subscribers - you make this show possible.
Find our socials, newsletter and more here: linktr.ee/macrodosepodcast
We want to hear from you! Leave a comment or get in touch at [email protected]
For more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, go to planetbproductions.co.uk
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On this week's Macrodose, Craig Gent explores algorithmic management. What is at stake when we speak of the creeping introduction of algorithms? Is it just an inevitable fact of the long march toward progress? Or does it open a new frontier that we need to take seriously and strategically?
Craig Gent is a writer and researcher and the North of England Editor at Novara Media. He’s also the author of a new book Cyberboss: The Rise of Algorithmic Management and the New Struggle for Control at Work, which is out this month tinyurl.com/3sxy2nsf
A massive thank you to all of our existing Patreon subscribers, your support keeps the show running and we are very grateful. If you have the means and enjoy our work, head over to patreon.com/Macrodose and subscribe today.
Find our socials, newsletter and more here: linktr.ee/macrodosepodcast
We want to hear from you! Leave a comment or get in touch at [email protected]
For more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, go to planetbproductions.co.uk
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As a listener of The Break Down, chances are you’re living in a political system that could be defined as “liberal”. But what does “liberalism” really describe? Is it about democracy? Free markets? The protection of individual freedom? Ask ten different people, and you’re likely to get ten different answers.
According to Chris Shaw, liberalism can boiled down to a system oriented around the “bourgeoisie” or, to put it more simply, the “middle classes”, in which technocratic governance is preferred to the messiness of politics, in which the individual takes precedence over the collective, and in which the protection of markets and private enterprise takes priority.
In this episode, Chris breaks down the ways in which liberalism has placed a stranglehold over our political imaginations; why this is so crucial when it comes to the climate crisis; and what a climate politics that takes class seriously would look like.
Chris Shaw is an Associate at the University of Sussex and former Director of Research at Climate Outreach, where he spent nearly a decade developing strategies for communicating climate change. His most recent book is called “Liberalism and the Challenge of Climate Change”.
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In this episode of Macrodose, guest host Isabelle Ferreras delves into the often-overlooked contradiction at the heart of modern democratic societies: while we live in democratic states, our workplaces are far from democratic. Isabelle explores the concept of "economic bicameralism" as a solution to bridge this gap and extend democratic principles into the workplace. She argues that if we truly value democracy, we must reconsider how power is distributed in the firms where we spend the majority of our lives.
You can order Democratizing the Corporation:The Bicameral Firm and Beyond, here from Verso Books: https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/3080-democratizing-the-corporation?srsltid=AfmBOorXp_sAFhpYJ2UZUWLbFyNO4sZvrMDiS-oZ2RVRFSm7jnh9EpCf
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On this week’s Macrodose James Meadway breaks down: the big tech stock plunge at the start of August (2:30), a brief look at new inflation figures in the UK (12:33) and Kamala Harris’ recent rhetoric on price controls (16:07).
A massive thank you to all of our existing Patreon subscribers, your support keeps the show running and we are very grateful. If you have the means and enjoy our work, head over to patreon.com/Macrodose and subscribe today.
Find our socials, newsletter and more here: linktr.ee/macrodosepodcast
We want to hear from you! Leave a comment or get in touch at [email protected]
For more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, go to planetbproductions.co.uk
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